A Defense of 80s Music, by Running On Sober

It was bound to happen. At some point, I was guaranteed to put my foot into it.
You’d have thought I knew better by now.
You’d have thought wrong.
Todays rebuttal comes from Running On Sober. When she isn’t running or compiling the brilliant Words for the Weekend, she’s also putting together some of the worlds greatest playlists.
Which gives her excellent credibility to rebut me for what I said in a post about 80s music.
So please enjoy Running on Sober’s skewering of me as much as I did.
(And then check out her site and say hi!)
(Just don’t look for me. I’ll be gagging. With a spoon.)

A Defense of 80s Music
Today’s Music: Jam On It by Newcleus
*Note on today’s music: Guap confessed to once knowing every single word to this 1984 song in a comment I knew would eventually come back to haunt him. For fun, listen to the song and every time they say “Jam on it, jam on it, ja-ja-ja-ja-ja-jam on it,” instead change it to, “Guapola, guapola, guap-guap-guap-guap-guap-guapola…”

Some messages I heeded (white lines — never did them), some messages I didn’t (patience — yeah, not my strong suit), and some I may have taken too literally before sobering up (I wanna be sedated), but when I look back at the 80’s, I can’t help but smile. That was my decade, I’m from the 80’s!, so when Guap asked me if I’d like to come to its defense after his recent post, “Oh Joy. The 80s Live On,” I was like totally frothing at the mouth.

Wait, what was I saying? I forgot. Let’s just sing 80′s music instead.

Everyone has an opinion on 80’s music. Seems we either love it or hate it; like Taco Bell, there’s not much middle ground. And when we think of 80’s music, usually the first images that come to mind are big hair, moonwalking, blue eye shadow, skinny ties, and Madonna writhing around stage in a wedding dress.

I really think MTV changed the face of music, at least for the 80’s. (Does MTV even play videos anymore?) MTV turned us into visual beasts, it desensitized us and took our imaginations away; each new video had to be a little more over-the-top than the last just to stand out. Who could be the most provocative? Who could show the most skin? Who could push the taboo-envelope? Who could have the biggest hair? Who could wear their underwear on the outside first?

Mötley Crüe or Madonna: Who showed their underwear first?

Madonna was one of the best at working the MTV angle, and like most girls my age, I grew up worshipping her. She was liberated, yet sexy, and she was oh-so-unapologetically in your face. I remember falling in love with Madonna in her iconic Borderline video. Not only was she sassy and beautiful, but she also flaunted an interracial relationship, and I wanted to be just like her. I had the hair bows, the black tanks, the jelly bracelets, the long cross necklaces. If she was brunette, so was I. If she went blonde, I went blonde. If she channeled Marilyn Monroe, so did I. I spent my 80’s desperately seeking Susan.

Channeling Madonna at my Canadian boyfriend’s prom. (I wouldn’t have been caught dead at my own.) Totally love that his hair is bigger than mine!

Love the 80’s, or love to hate them, you gotta admit they had their fair share of good tunes and good memories. Was some of it cheesy? Fer sure, dude. Even I throw up in my mouth a little whenever I hear “Eternal Flame” or “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” but every decade has its fair share of cheese. For some reason, we just remember more of it from the 80’s–I blame MTV–video killed the radio star.

So many great songs and memories crammed into one post! I grew up worshipping Madonna too, but at least it wasn’t disco? Now I’m watching the 80s song video at the end and craving a pudding pop and my childhood. Sniff. Anyway, loved ROS’ guest post. Thanks for sharing her!

Well of COURSE I loved the 80s….(excpet for hair metal – I’ll pass on that) ~ Butthole Surfers, David Bowie (really from the 70s but he transitioned well into the 80s along with the Ramones)…and we have the Dead Kennedys, DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, JFA, Talking Heads, Cure, Bauhaus, THE CRAMPS, DEVO, Madness, The Buzzcocks,The Specials and much much much more.

My father found a bag of hops (I heard smoking it would make you sleepy – but I have an allergy to hops – so smoking it made me headache-y) and demanded to know if it was pot… I couldn’t convince him that I did not have a HUGE stuffed bag of anything but hops.

I had some parachute pants in 1983 – it was horrifying – I saw Huey Lewis & the News with my friend in Wisc. I have had therapy for it since then.

Well I was quite the drama queen in the 80’s (and 90’s), like literally into stage theatre, so I’m glad that translated into the post.

Did you like how I threw out my prom picture as bait? A secret about the dress–my mom and I actually made that dress together, so it was extra special to me. I didn’t have the bow on the back like Madonna (Marilyn), but everything else was pretty close.

The 80s – it has this beat that is very typical. I love it, adore it, worship it! I’m especially fan of the more ‘dark’ side of the 80s. Well, dark, I like new wave stuff like The Cure and Siouxsie was fun, and Metallica, yeah, duh.
Many great songs are 80s (inspired). Thank god for these years ;)!

Hi NBI, I totally went through my goth stage too. Freaked my mom out one day when, after breaking up with a boyfriend, I dyed my hair pitch black in the middle of the night, and layered on the black eyeliner down to my cheeks. Sigh… The good ole days.

Was surprised to read that Metallica formed in ’81. I didn’t get into them until later, and had figured they’d been around much longer.

I never dyed my hair black, but there were thoughts… But after all I wanted to be a non-stereotypical goth with natural blonde hair ;).
Yeah, there are some bands that just seem to have lived forever. Like Iron Maiden as well, when did they started? Haven’t they been around forever?

Other than the fact that I was born in the 80’s, I don’t know where I would be without them. I listen to the 80’s station all the time! Even my kids are familiar with the 80’s in the same way I am familiar with the 60’s. Sure-fire proof that I am a good mom… No, I am a GREAT mom.

You are, without a doubt, a most excellent mom! I grew up listening to all genres too. I’m a huge 80’s fan, obviously, but more than that I’m just a huge *music* fan. Like Ruta said above, “good music is good music.” Thanks for the comment! – Christy

I love all genres as well…. except heavy metal (as they called it in the 80s; I have no idea what they call it now). Just don’t get the artistry of a guitar that sounds like a cat being mutilated, or drums that sound like a car wreck, or a singer screaming like a woman dipped in boiling lemon juice. But that’s just my opinion.

No. I use duct tape and an orange in a tube sock for that. This is teaching them about the horrors of neon and big hair, while simultaneously allowing them to adore B-Pop (aka Brit Pop, aka British Pop, aka Pet Shop Boys). See? Who is a good mom? This girl!

Yes. I know.
Truth to tell, from about 78 to 83, we were into the punk/garage scene in Boston and NY. Very crazy, very fun, please don’t tell my kids!! We just never, ever turned on the big radio stations. Pop culture was horrific at that time.
Oh, that’s right. It’s always kind of horrific!

That was classic early 80’s, Moms–punk and underground–I’m impressed! True, hippies and 80’s were kind of at odds. Don’t forget “Hair” the film came out in ’79 or ’80 though, that’s all I really can think of though, lol. Oh, except “Wicked”–that was a massive 80’s slang term. I think Boston stole it from the 80’s. 😉 (just kidding, I have no idea…)

I loves me some 80’s music to remind me of my youth, but I challenge anyone to tell me of a respectable artist who didn’t cheese out in their 80’s albums. Synthesizers, man, you just can’t win with synthesizers.

(One of the tweets in the Oh Joy. the 80s live On post that RoS is rebutting mentioned a keytar. The next day, I was followed on twitter by some keytar association. I’m guessing they didn’t read the tweet.)

I have only seen one proper application of a keytar in my life, and it was in the hands of a 70 year old Herbie Hancock doing all of his funk stuff from the 70’s. Otherwise, keytars should be confiscated and burned and their ashes should be buried a hundred miles under ground in concrete.

Oh RoS! I loved the ’80’s (but I always feel like I’m so in the minority). I’m a little older than you so I spent my ’80’s partying my ass off while working a full time job and trying to climb the corporate ladder.

Sherry!! OMG, Air Supply! Them and Chicago, and all the sudden I hear Delilah and her love songs on the radio. Shhhh…. don’t tell anyone, but “I’m All Out of Love” chokes me up a little–and no, I don’t mean in a “hold my hair” way. They have a special place in my heart.

As do shoulder pads. Except when one would inevitably get all mushed up and wouldn’t flatten out, and then I looked like one of my legs was 3 inches shorter than the other.

“hair-brow”….*snort*
oh my, this was great! Thanks for my morning fun! A lot of the music you mentioned is currently and ALWAYS on my playlist…Clash, Talking Heads. Beastie Boys, Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel amongst them. Any era is a great music era if you knwo where to look.
And, yeah, the Flock of seagulls boyfriend…Hawt!
xo

80s were very memorable, fer shur. Some of it I find very cheesy now that I liked back then, but then other days, I find it calms me and makes me feel young again. I still like Safety Dance (just for the cheesy memories that go with it; my husband thinks I need to get over that one though–Ha!) Great post, Christy. You got a lot of songs in one post–that’s talent.

Ha! I’ve never been able to separate Men at Work and men Without Hats in my mind!
Saw Colin Hay live, and he did a solo acoustic of Land down Under that was incredible.
And yes, sometimes it’s good just to go back for the laugh.

I really think you could be on to something, Char. I do find 80’s music (and even 90’s) very comfortable (great word). I think we can’t help but get mentally transported to the place and time associated with particular songs. I link song and memory together probably more than most folks. I also “think” in song lyrics too, so the post came very naturally for me–it drives some of my friends crazy, but “I am what I am, if you know what I mean.”

Thanks for dropping by, Char! Spot says hi to Ginger and says she’s going to email her later this week.

Ginger is shivering out in the garage wedged in between a bike and a shelf seeking safety from the thunderstorm. That’s her ‘safe’ spot (I don’t know why). I’ll tell her Spot said Hi and see if that helps any.

Thank you, Alex. Not sure about brave, maybe just impulsive, LOL. I’m sure I fried a few brain cells overdosing on 80’s music.

Ha, just remembered that 80’s commercial–“this is your brain” (shows an egg), “this is your brain on drugs” (shows an egg frying in a pan). Then if you scramble that egg up and melt some cheese on top, you get “this is your brain on 80’s music.”

I told Guap that post was very upsetting. I’m so glad you spoke up for us. Thompson Twins,. Eurhthymics, Frankie, Duran Duran, The Tubes….I was on the west coast, we were a little more something that I can’t remember the name of, not New Age, not punk, what was it?!

I don’t think I’ll ever look at Slash the same again. And those words… wha… now you’ve challenged me to come up with something vile. Have you seen poor Axl recently? Holy Mama, his life has caught up to him. With a vengeance.

I cannot recommend that. Too many lost souls wander the dim corridors of my electronic asylum. But if you feel you must, please bring rope, a flashlight, and bottled water. The vending machines only serve energy drinks, and they take only twenty dollar bills… a guy has to make a living somehow… and also do not speak with the cannibals or feed the crack squirrels. And watch out for the quicksand pits. There are emergency exits, but some of them lead to worse places…

Wonderful commentary on the 80’s music!! I really enjoyed the music of the 80’s. I loved Boy George and Dire Straights. I wish I would have had the 80’s music to remember high school by instead of creepy 70’s music.

Very funny and quite the rebuttal. I have to side with Linda (Sorry, Guap). She nailed it in pointing out all the good things about the 80’s. I am more of a late 70’s gal…(thus, the name, brickhousechick) but the 80’s, although not as funky, still rocked. 🙂

Your name always makes me think of the movie Boyz n the Hood, which I know technically is from ’91, but it sure feels like an 80’s flick. Which then makes me think of Slick Rick and Eazy E. Hope you’ve been feeling better, been thinking of you.

The 80’s wasn’t just bad hair and shoulder pads, although they both did have sharp edges and needed to be softened by belt sanders. Like you said, there was a whole slew of other non-pop music and bands then – Public Enemy, NWA, Boogie Down Productions, Beastie Boys, Bad Religion, Misfits, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Rush, Slayer, Metallica, The Smiths, The Cure, Prince, Testament, Anthrax, Mercyful Fate, Celctic Frost, etc. I have the uncanny ability, thought, to be like that e-card there – I can recite an alarming amount of 80’s pop music without second thought, but can’t remember where my car keys are. Let’s Hear It For The Boy, indeed 🙂

I have had a love affair with the Smiths and Morrissey for who knows how long – they never leave my mp3 player. Some bands just don’t tire.

This isn’t much of a defense for the defense – you did a great enough job, Christy. I am just using this as an excuse to list some bands. Back in the 80’s I was more of the death metal guy, but secretly listened to the fluffy stuff. Prince was a hero, as was Leonard Cohen. And King Diamond. So it was all over the place, and that is why I loved the 80’s and still do – a big mosh posh of stuff, but some solid and long lasting acts came from there. Some great one hit wonders too.

Swoon.

Thanks for this, and thanks for hosting this and being a good sport about this, El Guapo!

I am right with you! Cinderella never even came close to hitting my playlist. Eighties set foundation for a lot of the alternative and indie music i so enjoy today.
….Smiths is always on my playlist!
Great post 🙂

Thanks, Silly, agreed on The Smiths. I still listen to them today, have their complete works even. Cinderella, well they were fun, but I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I listened to them before this post. The Cult though is another story…

I remembered you liked the hard stuff, but dude, you totally floored me with the Smiths and Cohen. I’m a huge Morissey fan (ever hear Buckley cover “I Know It’s Over”? Talk about swoon.) and while Guap ribs him, I swoon over Lenny, especially when he growls “I’m Your Man.”

Funny – after reading this post and replying, I ended up watching a Morrissey live in Sao Paolo concert I had never seen on Youtube, which got me stuck in a 2 hr vortex of old Smiths concerts, etc.

I used to listen to the harder stuff, but more of an indie kinda guy these days. Belle and Sebastian are probably still one of my faves, and have The Postal Service, The Thermals, Diive, Grizzly Bear, Beach house, Foals, Said the Whale, etc. with some 90’s hip hop and who else knows what on my mp3 player these days. Oh, don’t forget The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. That never, ever leaves. ha ha. But yeah, the Moz is the man, period. Lenny too.

Fortunately for 80s music, MTV came along …. otherwise, you knows how many would have made it. I’m a older, so this era is no comparison to mine, but … thanks to MTV, I noticed this one for some reason.

I think our emotions entwine with the music of “our generation,” for better or for worse, but every decade had their goodies. I even love some of the swing and big band stuff that came well before me. Benny Goodman puts a big smile on my face!

This is amazing. Long live the 80s! In high school a teacher always called me “flash dance” because I rocked the leggings and big hair and hot pink eye shadow. Yeah yeah I know I was born in ’88, but I’m fascinated none the less. PS. – was your boyfriend Nicholas Cage circa Valley Girl? Bahahahahaha you’re beautiful as usual, by the way!

Thanks girlie! Gah, wasn’t Jennifer Beals gorgeous? I mean she still is, but she totally made that movie. I still remember the chair and that water…

You totally belong in the 80’s, Nicole. Those off the shoulder sweatshirts, the neon and the hoop earrings… That’s so you. I think you’ve got more of a Pat Benetar thing going for you though than Flashdance though. 😉

Hmm, I must admit, I’m not a huge fan of 80s music, even though it was my decade. Some songs I’ll still listen to, like Michael Jackson’s. But groups like Bananarama, Duran Duran, and Tears for Fears? No way José!

Thanks so much Lisa. There’s something fun about guest-spotting, like you can let your guard down a little and break out of your box. I’m grateful to Guap for the opportunity. If (when) we meet-up, we are so dressing up like Susan/Madonna and hitting the town! (You and I, not me and Guap, lol, just to clarify.)

Oh Christy. How I love you for this wonderful ode to 80s music. You capture the spirit of the decade perfectly. I couldn’t wait to get MTV; my friends got it before I did, so I used to camp out at their houses as often as I could. And I clicked on all the links you so cleverly weaved into your post. I had such a good time.

My favorites during the 80s were U2, Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, Duran Duran, and the Police. But there are so many songs that when I hear then now, I time warp right back to high school. And so now I will leave you with a video of a song I heard just this morning that took me back. Enjoy!

Let’s do the time warp again, and run, run both night and day until we go back in time (had to sneak some Huey in there); I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, or Susan for that matter, in any other decade since.

The story goes that Jon Bon Jovi discovered the Cinderella band. Thanks to Jon, they lasted 11 more minutes than their allotted fifteen. Nice jam on the Newcleus, a song that never gets old for me. I’m throwing back a song that always puts me in that ’80s place. To paraphrase Mark Twain, I spent a good year at a Van Halen concert one night . . The David Lee Van Halen. Man, that was the time.

Ha, Cayman, great minds on the David Lee, (not Sammy, not Sammy!) preference. It’s like that 1985 song I linked to, “Who’s that new guy singing with Van Halen” even though technically I guess David Lee is the new guy again. Unless they ousted him for Brett Michaels?

I always get Cinderella and RATT confused. They’re pretty interchangeable though, right? RATT had the twins in the music videos though I think?

“Wiki, wiki, wiki, wiki, wiki… Yeah we know…” LOL, I love that song too! Now we all know where Wikipedia got their name!

I was so tempted to respong with a Zebra video.
Fortunately, I have no restraint, even if it doesn’t fit the conversation!
this is from 1983, and it’s set to the original Tron flick.
It’s…the LALA SONG!!!

I love the “hair metal” part of the 80’s but hate the “new wave” part of the 80’s. I was the rocker rebel who liked Ratt when everyone else in my class was listening to Duran Duran. I did move on to the 90’s though, which is where I happily remain decades later. ❤

Hey Stacy, thanks for the comment. I loved it all back then, but I think The Cult, which felt like a new wave-glam rock band, was probably more favorite. Their lead singer had the longest and most beautiful hair.

The early 90’s had some good stuff, but man, not too much has held my interest in the 2000’s (yet). Jonny Lang maybe, but he debuted in the 90’s…

80’s metal has its place, Guap (and not a blotted out memory, ok?). Just think – we got to walk around looking like that, listening to that, thinking nothing of it. I think we think too much now. See what I mean? ❤

I almost used this on my site on the post where I asked folks to come over here. I went with Stacey Q’s Two of Hearts “I need you,” because I was afraid people would take me too literally if I said “I’ll give you anything you want!” Haha.

Oh gosh, that 80s song made me laugh OUT LOUD. I was a trench-coated, high-hair sporting, liquid-papered-skull-and-crossbones-on-tights-wearing 80s freak. A few more choice cuts: Depeche Mode (“Let’s play/master and servant” – my first introduction to S&M), The Jesus and Mary Chain (“Eating up the scum is the hardest thing for /me to do” – after listening several times, I realised that Just like honey was about a certain sexual act… and not really about honey) and The Smiths of course. Alternative 80s anthem if there ever was one.

OH YEAH! I was a Depeche Mode girl for sure. I skipped school in So Cal one day so I could stand in line for tickets to their concert. I used to work at a clothing store and they had the DM song “Lie to Me” on the Muzak tape–gah, I’d play that thing over and over and over. And The Smiths? Like I told Paul (Carry the Message) above, I have their complete works. I spent many hours listening to “How Soon is Now” and “I Know It’s Over” (did you see the Buckley video above?) and two of my favorite running songs are “Big Mouth Strikes Again” and “What Difference Does it Make”. You and I would have been friends in high school, no doubt. Thanks for reading! -C

nope, not about honey… I had every Smiths album, too, and over-analysed the lyrics. I went to see the Smiths in concert, but Morrissey was being difficult and they played for 20 mins and left. BOO! I remember explaining DM lyrics to my mum, applying a political reading to Master and Servant – not actually realising it was about SoMething else… until later, that is. Bless her, she really took it seriously. I even played the song for her. I had all the early DM albums, too. And Peter Murphy, and The Housemartins (remember them?!), the Jam, the Style Council… ah, life. Yep, we would have hung out.

I’m grateful to DM and the 80s for all its gender bending glory. As for the honey… we need to remember that the brothers Reid (of The Jesus and Mary Chain) were strung out on heroin at the time, so their metaphors were bound to be a bit confusing. 😕

I’m totally freaking out over this post! I love the 80’s so much, I attempted to remake Lucky Star. It was pretty pathetic, but so much fun! http://youtu.be/2Dci24voXA0
Growing up in the 80’s was the best. I love a decade that “doesn’t take itself so seriously.” Fer sure, really, like gag me with a pitchfork, couldn’t we totally use that attitude now? Later skaters! Love, Court